Sifter cap device for dispensing containers



Dec. 22, 1953 s. MORRISON 2,663,468

SIFTER CAP DEVICE FOR DISPENSING CONTAINERS Filed March 9, 1950 l N V E N TO R 07010 4/0/6902).

ATTa N EYS Patented Dec. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIFTER CAP DEVICE FOR, DISPENSING CONTAINERS- Application March 9, 1950, Serial No. 148,673

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to containers for pulverulent or finely divided fiowable material such as talc powder, dentifrice, condiments and the like, and more particularly to sifter cap devices associated with thise containers for dispensing purposes.

There have been proposed for the purpose indicated sifter cap devices having spring-pressed self-closing perforated slide valve discs or plates, but these devices have been comparatively complicated, costly in construction and hard to assemble, and/or have involved parts, such as springs, projecting inwardly towards the corn tainer and interfering thereby with the free flow of the fine material to the perforations of the valve discs during dispensing operations. More over, certain of these prior siiter devices have been so constructed that the fine material in the container finds its way readily to the slide part in a way to interfere with the free movement of this part into and out of sifting position. Where the slide part is located on the outer end of the sifter device to avoid this condition, the resulting sub stantially complete exposure of this part makes it necessary to use a special spring, such as a coil spring, and requires this to be enclosed in a special housing, thereby adding to the complication of the device and to its cost of manufacture.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved container sitter device of the spring-pressed, self-closing, slide valve type, which is comparatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble, which can be easily manipulated into dispensing position with a minimum of finger pressure without jamming, which offers no obstruction to the flow of the fine material to the dispensing perforations of the valve, and which is constructed to house the valve and to protect it against the jamming action of the material being dispensed.

Various other objects of the invention are apparent from the following particular description and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a container having a sifter cap device embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the sifter cap device shown with the cover broken away to reveal the perforated slide valve in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the sifter cap device taken on the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section of the sifter cap device taken. on the lines 44 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the sifter cap device taken on lines 5-5 of Fig. 3, but showing the perforated slide valve in open sifting position.

Referring to the drawings, the sifter device of the present invention is attached to a suitable container 10 for a material fine enough to flow through perforations in the device when said container is inverted and said device is manipulated into open dispens ng position. The container it may be a can, box or bottle as shown and is provided with the usual discharge neck H to which the sifter device of the present invention is attached.

The sifter device of the present invention comprises a head E2 in the form of an inverted generally cylindrical cup having a peripheral depending skirt or flange I3 retained in the neck l i of the container Hi by a friction fit and having a peripheral rib or head l4 resting on the upper edge of said neck.

This head E2 has an end wall Iii with a series of perforations i=3, six of them being shown, arranged symmetrically about the diametrical axis center A of said wall and on opposite sides of a transverse plane B at right angles to the plane of said wall. Seated on this end wall is is a slide valve disc ll which is provided with perforations I 8 corresponding to respective perforations it on said end wall and symmetrically arranged about an axis center C and on opposite sides of a transverse plane D. This valvedisc l? is adapted to be moved slidably edgewise to bring its perforations 18 into and out of registry with the perforations it in the end wall 55 of the head l2. An annular rib 251 on the end wall 15 of the head it concentric with the axis A of said head serves as a seat for the valve disc ll in this slide movement, thereby reducing friction resulting from this movement to a minimum.

Telescoped over the head 42 and over the valve disc I1 is a cover 25 in the form of an inverted generally cylindrical cup having a peripheral depending skirt or flange it retained over said head with a friction fit. This cover 25 has an end wall 27 provided with perforations 28 corresponding to and in registry with the perforations 66 respectively in the end wall Iii of the head !2. The valve disc l 'i is housed between the end cover wall 21 and the end head wall [5 and has a tongue extension as passing through a slot 5! in th upper part of the skirt 28 and terminating in a flange 32 serving as a thumb piece by which said valve disc may be manipulated into open dispensing position, with its perforations in registry with the perforations 5 and 28.

The sitter device is of the self-closing springpressed type. For urging the valve disc ll into closed position, there is provided a spring wire 35 shown of round stock, although as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, it may be of flat stock. This springwire 35 has a resilient body section 35, which in unstressed unassembled condition of the wire is straight. and an offset anchoring section 3? at one end, which in this, condition of the wire extends at a suitable obtuse angle with respect to said body section, as for example 150. This end wire section 31 is anchored to the valve disc i! by snug retention in a slender notch 38 in said disc and is fixed therein, as for example, by peening on opposite sides of said notch to upset the disc metal into firm gripping engagement with said wire section (Fig. 5).

In assembled condition, with the end 3'1 of the spring wire 35 secured to the valve disc H, the body section 35 is flexed into substantially conforming engagement with the inner periphery of the skirt 25 of the cover 25 and around the periphery of said disc. This spring wire 35 thereby is retained substantially in the plane of the body portion of the valve disc i! on one side of the cover 25, and the tendency for the anchored end section 3? of said wire to assume its obtuse angu lar relationship described, with respect to the body section 35 of said wire, urges the valve disc to roll somewhat along the inner periphery of the cover skirt 25 towards the opposite side of the cover into the closed position shown in Fig. 2. To assume retention of the spring wire 55 in this plane, especially at its free end, the skirt 26 of the cover 25 near said end is punched to form a small inwardly extending protuberance 39 underlying and giving support to said spring wire (Fig. 3).

The valve disc H is constrained to slide edgewise angularly about a fixed axis near the anchored section of the spring wire 35. For that purpose, the end cover wall 2'! has an inward projection 48 near one side extending permanently into a hole M in the valve disc I! and forming thereby a pivot for said valve disc. This pivot is disposed at the intersection of the plane B of symmetry of the fixed perforations I6 and 28 in the head end wall i 5 and cover end wall 2'! and the plane D of symmetry of the perforations I8 in the valve disc H, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The perforations 18 on the valve disc H are located with respect to this pivot 5! at distances equal to respective distances of corresponding pairs of fixed aligned perforations l5 and 28 from said pivot, to bring these perforations 18 into registry with the corresponding perforations l6 and 28, when said disc is moved about said pivot from closed position of said disc shown in Fig. 2 to open dispensing position shown in Fig. 5.

The axis C of symmetry of the series of per- I forations is of the valve disc I! and the axis A of the fixed walls l5 and 2'! are located on an are E or" the pivot 55, as shown in Fig. 5. The axis of symmetry of the perforations 18 of the valve disc I? thereby moves into coincidence with the axis A of the fixed walls I and 21 when said valve disc is moved angularly about the pivot 45 from the extreme closed position shown if i Fig. 2 to the extreme open position shown in For locating the valve disc 11 accurately in extreme closed position shown in Fig. 2, the edge sections 45 and 46 of said disc on opposite sides of the tongue 35 are arcuately curved about an axis F on the arm E at a radius Ra equal or just slightly smaller than the internal radius of the skirt or flange 25 of the cover 25, as shown in Fig. 5. Therefore, in the extreme closed position, shown in Fig. 2, the edge sections 45 and 46 of the valve disc 57 will be pressed under the influence of the spring wire against the inner periphery of the skirt or flange 26 of the cover 25in conformable engagement therewith, while the axis F on said disc will be coincident with the axis A of the fixed walls i5 and 21.

For locating the valve disc I! accurately in extreme open or dispensing position shown in Fig. 5, the edge section 41 of said valve disc diametrically opposite the tongue 30 and between the disc limiting edge sections 45 and 46 is arcuately curved about a point G on the are E at a radius Rb smaller than the internal radius of the skirt or flange 26 of the cover 25, as shown in Fig. 5. Therefore, in the extreme open dispensing position shown in Fig. 5, the edge section 41 of the valve disc II will be separated from the inner periphery of the cover skirt or flange 26 by a space 48, to receive comfortably the spring wire 35. The point G is spaced a small distance from the axis C of symmetry of the perforations 18 of the valve disc I1, so that the space 48 is wider in the region 50 where the body portion 35 of the spring wire 35 extends from its anchorage in said valve disc, and where such additional width is required.

The pivot mounting of the valve disc I? through the projection 45 on the cover wall 21 will direct said valve disc in its edgewise movement from closed spring-pressed position, shown in Fig. 2, to open dispensing position, shown in Fig. 5 as already described. However, to assure against the displacement of valve disc I! out of pivot engagement with the projection 40 during this movement of the valve disc, the edge 52 of the tongue extension 36 is arcuately curved about the center of the disc hole 6% or pivot projection 49, and the corresponding edge 53 of the cover slot 3! is located a very small distance from said edge. Thereby, as the valve disc H is manipulated into open dispensing position shown in Fig. 5 by application of thumb pressure on the tongue 38, the edge 52 of said tongue moves across the cover slot edge 53 at least in close proximity thereto, and if the pivot connection between said disc and the cover wall 2'! is loose enough, said tongue edge may actually ride across said cover slot edge in direct engagement therewith to be guided thereby.

The tongue 30 desirably extends in a general tangential direction with respect to the periphery of the valve disc ll to define an acute corner 55 between said periphery and said tongue. The edge 56 of the cover slot 3! through which the tongue 3| projects extends into this disc corner 55, when the valve disc i1 is in the closed position shown in Fig. 2, under the influence of the spring wire 35, thereby serving as additional limiting means for said valve disc in case the pivot connection between said disc and the cover wall 2'! is loose.

In operation, the tendency of the spring wire 35 to unfold about the angle connection between its sections 36 and 31 moves the valve disc i? angularly about the pivot 45 into closed limited position shown in Fig. 2, with the perforations 13 on said disc out of registry with the fixed perforations IB and 28 of the walls 15 and 2?, and the edges 45 and 46 of said disc conformably engaging the inner periphery of the cover skirt 25. In the self-closed position of the valve disc 11, the tongue 30 projects outwardly to its full extent through the cover slot 3! in position easily accessible to the thumb of the hand holding the container I0.

When it is desired to move the valve disc ll into open dispensing position, the tongue 35 is pushed with the thumb in the direction of the arrow J shown in Fig. 2 to swing said disc about the pivot 40 against the action of the spring wire 35 until the disc is moved against the skirt wall 26 of the cover 25 as far as said disc will go, as

shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the axis C of the valve disc will coincide substantially with the axis A of the cover and head walls and 21 and the perforations E8 in said disc will be in registry with aligned perforations I 6 and 2B in said walls. By inversion of the container 10, the powder contents of said container will be discharged through the registering perforations l6, l8 and 28.

Upon release of thumb pressure from the tongue 39, the valve disc I! will automatically return under the unfolding action of the spring wire 35 into closed position shown in Fig. 2.

It should be noted that the sifter device of the present invention consists of a small number of simple parts, simply assembled together, and of such construction that they lend themselves to inexpensive manufacture by stamping and/or spinning operations. Moreover, the valve disc I l is protectively housed between the head I! and cover 25, so that the fine material in the container 10 does not find its way in any region to block said disc against slide movement. Furthermore, the spring wire 35 in no way interferes with the free flow of the fine material in the container I 9 towards the registering perforations l6, l8 and 28 when the container is inverted.

Although the invention is shown in connection with the head I2, as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, this head can be eliminated, and other means can be provided to support slidably the valve disc [7. Or if desired, as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, the head 12 may be provided with an upper rim section to support the valve disc 11, and the end wall I 5 on said head may be eliminated.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to a specific embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto, but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dispensing cap device for a container, the combination comprising a peripheral wall for one end of the container, an end wall for said container having a series of dispensing perforations, a valve disc provided with a series of dispensing perforations corresponding to said end wall perforations respectively and mounted for edgewise slide movement across the face of said end wall into and out of perforation registry with said end wall, said valve disc having a slot extending from the edge thereof, a spring wire arranged in the plane of said valve disc and having a body portion and an end anchoring portion at an angle with said body portion, said end anchoring portion being retained in said disc slot, said body portion being wrapped around the edge of said disc in stressed condition free from fixed connections and tending to spring away from the edge of said disc, the peripheral wall of the container servin as an abutment for the body portion of said spring wire to hold said body portion under stress and to cause thereby said valve disc to be urged resiliently into closed position out of perforation registry with said end Wall.

2. In a dispensing cap device for a container, the combination comprising a peripheral wall for one end of the container, an end wall for said container having a series of dispensing perforations, a valve disc provided with a series of dispensing perforations corresponding to said end wall perforations respectively and mounted for edgewise slide movement across the face of said end wall into and out of perforation registry with said end wall, and a spring wire having one end rigidly anchored to said valve disc near the edge thereof and having a body portion which in unstressed condition is substantially straight and extends away from the edge of said valve disc, said wire body portion in operative position being flexed within and along said peripheral wall in abutment thereto and being free from fixed attachment, said wire body portion when so flexed being stressed to move said valve disc edgewise out of perforation registry with said end wall, and a finger piece connected to said valve disc and projecting through a circumferential slot in said peripheral wall permitting manipulation of the valve disc against the action of said spring wire into perforation registry with said end wall.

3. In a dispensing cap device for a container, the combination defined in claim 2, characterized in that the spring wire in unstressed condition has a substantially straight body portion and a shorter end portion at an obtuse angle with respect to said body portion, and said end portion extends into a slot in the edge of the valve disc and is fixedly anchored therein, said wire body portion in operative position being flexed and wrapped in stressed condition around the edge of valve disc and along the inner side of the peripheral wall and in its tendency to straighten out urging said valve disc out of perforation registry with said end wall;

4. In a dispensing cap device for a container, the combination comprisin a peripheral wall member for one end of said container having a slot extending circumferentially therealong, a fixed transverse end wall for said container having a series of dispensing perforations, a valve disc within said wall member provided with a series of dispensing perforations corresponding to said end wall perforations respectively and pivotally mounted off-center for edgewise slide movement across the face of said end wall into and out of perforation registry with said end wall, said valve disc having a tongue extension on one side of the pivotal mounting for the valve disc and passing through said slot and serving as a finger piece by which said valve disc may be manipulated into perforation registry with said end wall, and a spring wire in the plane of said valve disc having a body portion with a short angular end portion anchored to said disc, said body portion being wrapped around the edge of the disc in stressed condition free from fixed connections and tending to spring away from the edge of the disc, the peripheral wall member serving as an abutment for the body portion of the spring wire to hold said body portion under stress and to cause thereby said valve disc to be urged resiliently into closed position out of perforation registry with said end wall.

SIMON MORRISON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 887,851 Rowe May 19, 1908 1,066,813 Heldrich July 8, 1913 1,221,838 Crist Apr. 10, 1917 1,354,333 Ortiz et a1 Sept. 28, 1920 1,505,705 Dunnock Aug. 19, 1924 1,588,870 Aulbach June 15, 1926 1,613,518 Kendall Jan. 4, 1927 2,170,955 Thorn Aug. 29, 1939 

